The 12 Days of Christmas
by Ari the Dodecahedron
Summary: Twelve stories, twelve days. Some Hanukkah, some winter, and some Christmas. Lots of fluff, angst, and crack. (Subtitle: The Reason One Doesn't Allow Their Friends To Become Addicted To Their Writing.)
1. Scary Ghost Stories

**A/N: Hey, everyone! Now that winter break is nearly upon us, I will be updating Aspie and beginning to cross-post to AO3. However, to keep the wait from bugging everyone, I'll be doing drabbles and one-shots from now leading to Christmas. There will be some Hanukkah stories, and some plain old winter ones, as well. Some stories will be AUs, and still others will be canon divergent.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>Steve POV<p>

_Bucky._

The mere thought of the name gives me chills now.

James Buchanan Barnes was the man I trusted with my life-and was the one man I lost.

But now, Bucky has been found. He refuses to spend Christmas with me; he says his latest HYDRA target is only available that day.

I can't help but think back to the first Christmas we shared in Europe. There was a target that day, too: a high-ranking SS officer Bucky had been specially called in to kill, because their snipers weren't willing to shoot at a vehicle moving forty five miles per hour. Bucky practiced the shot with decoys for two weeks.

On Christmas day, he was sick from his time in the cold. He had to take the shot from an interior window, at an angle he hadn't been prepared for at all. He missed the first shot, which I had almost expected, but the second hit the man in the head.

Christmas dinner, that night, was hot soup. Peggy sent us real chocolates, which we melted and mixed with hot water before distributing the drink among the Commandos.

That was the first Christmas mission, and I can only hope this will be the last.


	2. I'll Be Home For Christmas

Clint POV:

I will never forget the first Christmas I knew Natasha Romanoff. Or, as she was known then, Natalia Romanova.

I'm talking about Budapest.

She was ready to defect - and yes, she said that exact word to me. I called her bluff, but she knew nothing else. Her mind was still in the Soviet Union, but the year was 2002. She had broken her own programming over a period of three years, and had sent a single word to me with our rendezvous. I didn't know what to expect.

I certainly wasn't expecting the redheaded tourist to mutter, "Purple, huh?"

"Anything against it?"

"Nothing. Got a match?" At my request, there was a James Bond joke in our code.

I handed her my lighter, and that was the last time I trusted her.

She grabbed my wrist, pinning me to the ground in less than three seconds. I could barely breathe. However, I didn't move until she walked a few steps away, to where she had dropped her bag. I sat up slowly. "Remnants?"

Natalia merely nodded. "Habit," she elaborated, no trace of a Russian accent under her English. "If we want to be home by tomorrow, we'd best hurry. Your handler's plane leaves in - sixteen minutes, forty two seconds." We walked quickly to the nearby airfield, where junior agent Maria Hill was waiting.

"Friendly," I commented, trying to keep my tone neutral. "Hill is under my normal handler, and I trust her with my life."

We landed on the Helicarrier at seven-thirty in the morning, Christmas day. Natalia requested a chance to sleep, which we granted while preparing a small Christmas feast. When we woke her, she could smell the food.

I have never seen her smile since that day.


	3. Potatoes

Pietro POV:

Twenty pounds of potatoes. I assumed that would be enough for the three of us. Little did I realize how wrong I was.

First, Lorna decided to take almost three pounds to school with her so she could teach one of her friends how to cook latkes. Then, Wanda needed starch for a spell. I didn't even ask about that one. By the first day of Chanukah, we had seven pounds.

And then came the battle.

We were called in just as the latkes began to cook. I tried to convince Professor Xavier to let one of us stay behind, but he was firm: they needed all of the help they could get. So off we went, and the latkes burned.

Two pounds of potatoes remained.

I had to race to the store and get another twenty pounds. But I should have known something was off when I heard the silly giggles from the girls as I sped away.

I cooked them carefully as soon as I got back. By the time Vati arrived, there was a steaming pile on the table.

The girls were still giggling when I took out the first presents. I was about to learn why.

Wanda's gift to me was a potato plant that didn't need soil and was already producing a crop.

It was then that I realized that the girls had planned it all along, because Lorna went outside, grabbed the mail, and handed me a potato with a fistful of stamps on it. I had never been so tempted to run into the Atlantic and stop halfway across.

But only when Vati handed me a potato wrapped in foil, which he insisted was the closest he could get to chocolate gelt, did I actually give up on my life.


	4. Let It Snow

Charles POV:

"Who started this snowstorm?" I asked calmly over breakfast. "Because they will be on main shoveling duty today."

Ororo smirked. "Not me, Professor. I give you permission to look for proof if you so wish." I smiled, reassuring her that I trusted her.

Bobby, on the other hand, stared guiltily at his plate. It was nearly bare, lacking his normal pile of sausage. I knew his choice to stay kosher during Chanukah, and had made sure properly made turkey sausage was available to him. But only two toast with a small amount of honey were present.

At a look from Kitty, I did not press him any further. However, I quietly told her to speak to me after the meal.

She arrived at my office ten minutes after we had finished eating. "It was a rough night for both of us, Professor. He was having nightmares about the first time his powers manifested, and he can't stop this from happening if it gets that bad." I nodded sympathetically as the lights flickered, then went out altogether.

"Probably build-up," I muttered, gesturing for Kitty to follow me.

I went to the main entrance, where Bobby was systematically shoveling a path wide enough for my wheelchair. When Kitty called and he didn't look up from the task at hand, I gently prodded him. He froze in place. "I'll be fine, Professor."

"No, your only job right now is to get the power back on. Unless, of course, you'd rather go solely by flashlight and menorah tonight." He laughed genuinely for the first time all day. I made sure my mental barriers were still up, because the emotions I was experiencing were stronger than one person's. But I realized that Kitty had intended for me to feel hers.

We did indeed rely on flashlights that night, along with the menorah proudly displayed in the front hall.


	5. The Marvelous Toy

Erik POV:

"Stark! Where are my grandchildren?" I called, opening the doors of his lab with a quick thought. I knew he would be there; every suit was in its place. However, I was somewhat confused when I sensed another metal object, limb-shaped, on his workbench. As it came into sight, I saw Sergeant Barnes sitting there as Stark worked on his arm.

"Helmet! How nice to see you. The Littles are on a training mission, but they'll be back in half an hour or so. In the meantime, do you think you could give me some help with this? There's an open circuit deep inside, and Bucky can't move it." The sergeant did not react to his name being uttered. I realized that he had put himself into a torture-style trance to ignore the pain from the neural simulators in his arm.

"Let me touch. I can't find it that easily, no matter what it might seem like." Tony stepped back, and my hand rested lightly on the metallic surface. I could sense the circuit, but whatever goons had put it together had also made it tamper proof. I concentrated for what I thought was only a few minutes, but when it was fixed and I moved away, Billy and Tommy were waiting.

"An hour and a half? Was Hydra that good?" Billy asked. I could feel him pulling at Sergeant Barnes's consciousness, though the man's strong will left him unresponsive.

"Yes, they were, a fact both I and the sergeant can personally attest to. However, neither of you have permission to go after any remaining members. We have reserved that task for ourselves."

"Aw, come on!" Tommy whined. "When do we get a good villain, then?"

"Please, please, please," I heard Tony mutter. "Project Fallback. Project Fallback."

I laughed. "Project Fallback, activate." A song of Tony's choice - "The Marvelous Toy," by John Denver - began playing as parts assembled themselves from around the workshop. The children watched as mock Doombots appeared before them.

"Best gift ever."


End file.
